A year later, lighthouse acquisition shuffles forward

The National Park Service has pushed back the proposed acquisition of the Oswego Lighthouse with a request for more information.

Erin Place

The National Park Service has pushed back the proposed acquisition of the Oswego Lighthouse with a request for more information.

Last week the community development office resubmitted its application to take over the management of the lighthouse in junction with the H. Lee White Museum. The application was resubmitted because the National Park Service asked the community development office for more information about the proposed project including a more detailed budget and more developed phasing on the project.

The original proposal went to the Park Service in January of this year. It was on June 1, 2006 when the city first became aware that the lighthouse was available. The U.S. General Services Administration offered the lighthouse to the H. Lee White Marine Museum for no charge. Rosemary Nesbitt, the city historian and founder of the marine museum said that she made the offer for the museum to be the sponsor of the lighthouse when the project was first proposed. If the application is approved, the City of Oswego would own the lighthouse and be responsible for its maintenance and upkeep.

According to Mary Vanouse, the director of the community development office, the National Park Service is usually prompt in their response to such application and she is hoping to hear from them soon. The National Parks Service looks at a city or organization’s ability to manage a historical landmark like the lighthouse. The Oswego lighthouse was put on the national register of historic places due to the efforts of the Heritage Foundation of Oswego in 2000. This project stems from the Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000 where the National Park Service allowed the transfer of national lighthouses to be managed by state governments and municipalities.

If the project is approved, a grant commitment, obtained by the community development office, for a total of $225,000 has been given to the City of Oswego through the Erie Canal Greenway grant program. According to the city’s engineering office, it will take twice that, or $500,000, to fully restore the lighthouse. According to Vanouse, the lighthouse, which was built in 1934, still has lead paint that needs to be disposed of, and much of the paint is peeling. “The building itself is in amazing condition considering how old it is,” said Nesbitt.

Vanouse believes it will take about five years for the restoration of the lighthouse to be complete. Once this occurs, the marine museum and the community development office have plans of transforming the lighthouse itself into a museum. What concerns Vanouse is the current inaccessibility of the lighthouse. The city does not want to have any liability or injuries for those attempting to reach the monument that defines the city.

Right now the Army Corps of Engineers have delayed its engineering phase on the breakwall until it is known if the lighthouse application is approved. It is possible that once the Army Corps of Engineers begins the project on the breakwall, it might be possible for pedestrians to reach the lighthouse. The coast guard has a boat that can dock to the lighthouse, but currently the city does not. According to Mercedes Niess, the associate director of the H. Lee White Marine Museum, it is both the museum and city’s responsibility to figure out how people would be able to reach the lighthouse once it is turned into a museum.

Nesbitt has offered for the marine museum to create the displays for the lighthouse museum and to run tours. “We would be telling the story of the lighthouse and the story of the lighthouse on the lake,” said Nesbitt.